Sunday, February 11, 2007

Argentine Black Bean Flatbread with Chimichurri Drizzle

This recipe won the appetizer category of the Cooking Light recipe contest this year, and was very highly reviewed by people on the CLBB. When I read the recipe, I didn't think it sounded particularly spectacular, but after hearing so many good things about it I decided to try it.

It was so good!!!! We really liked it a lot. I had some issues with the crust dough - it was super-crumbly and dry, so I thought I'd ruined it. But it turned out to be okay. I also didn't roll it out thin enough so the whole thing ended up like more of a pizza than a flatbread. This was not a bad thing at all; in fact, we liked it that way. It helped it to be a substantial meal instead of appetizer-y. I would probably use a store-bought pizza dough or flatbread in the future, instead of making my own dough, because it was way too time consuming. The black bean spread was delicious, the chimichurri sauce was fantastic, and I loved the addition of Parmesan and roasted peppers. We will definitely make this again.

Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in size. (Gently press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, dough has risen enough.) Roll dough into a 14 x 11-inch rectangle; place dough on prepared baking sheet. Spread 1 1/2 cups Black Bean Spread over dough. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 450° for 13 minutes or until crust browns and cheese is bubbly. Let cool 10 minutes.

Combine parsley and the remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Drizzle parsley mixture over cheese. Cut bread into 16 squares; garnish each square with 1 bell pepper strip.